The present invention relates to electronic instrumentation devices and more particularly to devices for teaching electronics and for testing electrical systems.
In order to perform electronic circuitry test and design experiments, a number of specialized electronic instruments are generally required, such as a variable power supply, a variable signal generator, an oscilloscope for observing the behavior of signals through a circuit being tested, meters for measuring resistance, voltage and current, and preferably an electronic counter for recording the input/output signal characteristics of the circuit being tested. These instruments are typically available as separate components and require a thorough understanding of their operating principles by users before they can be effectively utilized.
Furthermore, the use of component electronic instruments is generally limited to the laboratory or classroom. Experiments conducted away from the laboratory cannot be readily performed using separate components because more than one instrument has to be transported and set-up, which is burdensome and time-consuming. There is presently no portable, self-contained electronic instrumentation device for performing electronic circuitry test and design experiments that is suitable for use in a laboratory, a classroom, or in the home.
Moreover, when using separate electronic instruments it is difficult to set up a circuitry experiment because the circuit, even if on a printed circuit card, must be connected to the electronic instruments using external leads or wires. A beginning student who is not very familiar with the operation of the equipment can easily make mistakes in making the connections and cause possible equipment damage. Therefore, the use of separate electronic instruments requiring external leads for connecting the instruments to the circuit to be tested is undesirable in a classroom because it is time-consuming, mistakes can be made in setting up the experiment, and an experienced instructor is required to insure that the proper connections are made. Further, the time spent in setting up the experiment leaves less time available for actually conducting the experiment.
Because of the complexity involved in setting up electronic circuitry experiments utilizing specialized instruments, the use of laboratory instruments in schools for teaching purposes has not been wide spread and much less, if ever, has such equipment been made available for use and handling by students.
If separate components are used in schools, they are generally used with specially designed benches having lockable covers to prevent theft of the components when the equipment is not in use. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a self-contained electronic instrumentation device that does not require specially designed tables, but rather can be used on any table, and when the device is not in use, can be easily carried and stored in any lockable cabinet.
Another limitation of electronic component equipment for teaching purposes is that the equipment can only be used during classroom hours under guidance of an experienced instructor. The instruments are not portable and cannot be readily taken home by a student to be used with a training manual for self-teaching purposes. Therefore, it is desireable to provide a portable electronic instrumentation device which is simple to operate that a student can use without supervision so that the device can be taken home by the student and used with an instructional manual for self-teaching purposes.
Furthermore, the electronic instrumentation devices designed for use in teaching electronics that are presently available are not suitable for use as laboratory test instruments for conducting electronic circuitry test and design experiments. Such training devices are only useful in conducting a very limited number of educational experiments and are not useful as practical laboratory instruments for advanced students. Therefore it is desirable to have a dual purpose instrumentation device suitable for use as a trainer and as a laboratory test instrument in order to provide a student with a practical state of the art laboratory instrument.